A hearty portion of clean food, a dollop of fitness and a sprinkle of travel

A land Down Under

Not with a man, with a country. Australia. To those that know me this will come as no surprise. The smell of the eucalyptus, the heat, the vast landscape and the beautiful cities, the friendly and diverse faces passing you on the street, the food, the wine, the people in general, the culture…

I’ve been lucky enough to visit this country four times, spending the best part of a year there in 2011. On my latest trip in January this year something became very clear for me. I’d always enjoyed my trips and had a fantastic time living in Melbourne – I wasn’t ready to come back to the UK but hey, that’s immigration for you!

This time however, I flew up to Sydney to visit an old school friend. As we were coming in to land I looked out the window at the sprawling city of Sydney. And that’s when it hit me. Australia felt like home.

I’d never had this feeling before but I just knew, and for a moment, couldn’t imagine going back to my home in the Cotswolds. Madeline Shaw in the introduction of her book ‘Get the Glow’ sums it up perfectly for me:

“From the minute I landed in Oz I felt at home. It was the strangest feeling. A sense of calm washed over me and I knew deep in my gut that I had to live there – that somehow this place would help me uncover the true me.”

I think no matter where I find myself in the world, my heart will always be in Australia.